Hatton Garden Heist :: Update

Officers investigating the theft of items from a number of safety deposit boxes at a business in Hatton Garden have released CCTV stills from the robbery to trace the suspects involved.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Johnson, the officer in charge of the investigation said:

"They were highly audacious entering on two occasions over that weekend"

"The images released are of three suspects and a van used by them in the Easter bank holiday weekend burglary at Hatton Garden Safety Deposit Limited (HGSD). They are pictured here using a side door situated in Greville Street, EC1 to make their way to and from the premises.

"They were highly audacious entering on two occasions over that weekend firstly on Thursday 2nd April at 9.19pm before leaving the following morning at approx 8.12am. They then returned over a day later on Saturday 4th April at approx 10.17pm before leaving the following morning at approx 6.44am.

"This footage, along with other material, was already recovered by police at the earliest opportunity, and continues to be evaluated to capture the precise movements of the suspects.

"The investigation team have been collecting CCTV footage within the Hatton Garden area since the incident and will continue to do so. I would appeal to neighbouring businesses, or members of the public who are either witnesses or in possession of CCTV footage, to contact us with information to support this enquiry.

"The examination of the scene has been painstaking and will continue into next week. These examinations are vital in order for us to arrest these thieves and we must exploit this one-off opportunity to the fullest extent. I appreciate that this has been a frustrating process for all those affected by this crime, and I would like to thank them and ask for their continued support in the investigation."Initially police were called at 8:10am on Tuesday, 7 April to Hatton HGSD following reports of a burglary which took place over the Easter bank holiday.

The building where the theft took place is made up of a number of businesses, with a communal entrance. The safety deposit business is in the basement.

There was no sign of forced entry to the outside of the building. The thieves had disabled the communal lift on the second floor and then used the lift shaft to climb down into the basement.

They forced open shutter doors into the basement where HGSD is, then made their way to the vault, where they used a heavy duty drill - the make was a Hilti DD350 - to bore holes into the vault wall. The wall is two metres thick and made of re-enforced concrete.

A total of 72 safety deposit boxes were opened, out of 999 boxes in the vault. Of these, seven were vacant, and 11 were due to be drilled out for non-payment of fees.

Officers have successfully made contact with 42 holders of security boxes, and continue to attempt trace the remaining victims. If you believe you may have been a victim we would ask that you contact police on the incident room number.

The owner of HGSD Ltd has been spoken to over the phone by Flying Squad officers. He is currently oversees and will be speak face-to-face with officers on his return.

Security staff for the building have already been spoken to by police.

The forensic examination of the scene for evidence remains ongoing.

Anyone who has any information about this theft, or saw anything suspicious in the area around Hatton Garden Safety Deposit Ltd over the Easter bank holiday is asked to contact the Flying Squad on 020 8785 8655, or to remain anonymous Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.